Game-counter.



No. 803,577. PATENTED NOV, 7, 1905. nsmonn.

GAME COUNTER.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY 12. 1905 u 43%7 Q Q W & \& 18 I8 4 Witnesss-Inventor,

Attorneys.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TRACE S. FORD, OF MARSHALLTOWN, IOWA.

GAME-COUNTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 7, 1905.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TRACE S, FORD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Marshalltown, in the county of Marshall and State of Iowa,have invented a new and useful Game- Counter, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to game-counters.

The object of the invention is to provide a novel, simple, andthoroughly practical form of game-counter with which scores may readilyand accurately be kept and in the use of which all tallies will beplainly exposed to view,

thereby to obviate any danger of either intentional or unintentionalmiscounting.

With the above and-other objects in view, as will appear as the natureof the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novelconstruction and combination of parts of a game-counter, as will behereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specificatiom'andin which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts,Figure 1 is a view in perspective, partly in section, of one form ofgame-counter. Fig. 2 is a similar view of another form of game-counter.Fig. 3 is a view in transverse section taken on the line 3 3, Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings and to Fig. 1 thereof, 1 designates abase-board, to which is secured at each end and intermediate thereofbattens 2, 3, and 4. The upper faces of the battens are provided withgrooves 5, in which rest the wires or guides 6, that carry the counters7, which are approximately double cones and are adapted readily to bemoved back and forth upon the wires or guides when a score is beingkept. These wires are held combined with the battens by keepers orplates 8, 9, and 10, the plates 8 and 10 being provided with numeralsindicating the values of plays and in this instance ranging from 10 to1,000. and divided as follows: 10, 20, 60, 80, 100, 1,000. This group ofnumerals is adapted more particularly in playing the game of pinochle,although it is to be understood that the counter is equally adapted forscoring other games, such as bezique, sixty-six, cribbage, high-five, orany other game in which a score is to be kept. The

batten 9 is provided with a series of orifices 11 to receivecounting-pegs. The keepers may be secured to the battens in any suitablemanner, as by screws or tacks 12, and the outer edges of the battens 8and 10 are bent downward to form flanges 13. that operate positively toprevent the wires 6 from having any endwise movement relatively to thebaseboard or from becoming detached from the battens.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 2 and 8 the board isconstructed of two boxlike sections 141, that are hinged together topresent a receptacle for containing a pack of cards. The upper face ofthe sections have combined withthem spacers 15,between which arearranged the wires or guides 16, that carry the counters 17 which areshown as spheres, although, if preferred, they may be of the shape shownin Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 3, the sides 18 and ends 19 of each sectionextend above the top 20 thereof a distance equal to the height of thespacers 15, and the ends are provided withrecesses or seats 21, in whichthe wires 16 are arranged. To hold the wires in position, keepers 22 areemployed at the respective ends of the sections, which are secured tothe upper sides thereof and have their lower ends bent down to formflanges 23, which operate in a positive manner to prevent the wires fromhaving any longitudinal movement or from becoming detached from the top,the wires being positively shielded against being bent or otherwiseinjured by being housed between the spacers 15.

The boards are used as follows: Each player keeps his own score. Inbeginning the counters are all moved to the center of the board, andthen as a point is declared a counter is moved down on the wire thenumber of which corresponds to the value of the point declared. When allthe counters of a wire have been pulled down, they are then moved backand their value counted on the 100 wire. At the end of each hand it isadvisable to transfer as many of the counters as possible to the 100wire, thereby giving a clear exhibition of how the game stands. As eachgame is completed a peg may be inserted in one of the orifices 11,thereby keeping an accurate tally of the number of the games played.

The apparatus herein described, while exceedingly simple ofconstruction, will be found of the highest efliciency and reliability inuse and will materially reduce the labor of keeping all scores of a gameand insure freedom from mistakes.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. Agame-counter comprising a base, bat- IIO therewith, the latter battenbeing provided with pegging-holes and the former with seats or recesses,guides passing through the intermediate batten and having theirterminals disposed in the seats or recesses, and keepers, bearingnumbers, secured to the terminal battens and having downturned flangesto cover the ends of the guides.

In testimony that 1 claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

TRACE S. FORD. \Vitnesses:

J. L. \VHINERY,

BLANGHE ORDWAY.

